On Tuesday, Hamas announced that Yahya Sinwar has been selected as the next head of Hamas’s political office. Sinwar was one of the masterminds behind Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israel. Sinwar has been Hamas’s leader in Gaza for around seven years, but this move will consolidate his power over the group as he replaces Ismail Haniyeh, the group’s top political leader. Haniyeh was killed last week in Tehran while attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president. While Hamas and Iran blame Israel for the assassination, Israel has not publicly admitted to the attack. It is likely that Sinwar is hiding in tunnels to avoid assassination himself. It is not yet known how this new appointment will affect cease-fire talks, but a truce cannot go forward without Sinwar’s approval.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/06/world/middleeast/hamas-yahya-sinwar-promoted.html